Never Safe

Chapter Fifty-Four

You'd been home for five days. That's four nights. Three of which you didn't sleep. Three of which Bucky didn't sleep. Three of which he was wide awake, worrying about you.

Three nights, but you didn't care.

You'd gone pale except for the dark bags under your eyes. Everyone had stopped trying to speak to you now. No one tried to move you, and no one tried to attend to your injuries.

Bucky still sat with you, of course. May, Peter, Natasha and Bruce all came and went. The rest of the Avengers were 'giving you space'. As the hours turned into days, they worried more and more, but they never did anything about it.

But it was fine. Bucky and Bruce came up with a plan.

It wasn't a very good plan. They were going to wait. They'd figured that you'd pass out eventually, so the plan was to wait for you to fall asleep. It would be easier to move you then. They were going to take you back to the med-bay, and they were going to treat you like they should've days ago. Bruce was going to insert an IV in your arm, to provide the nutrients that you were lacking as you hadn't eaten. Then they'd figure out the next step when they got to it.

It was just after ten in the evening. Natasha said goodbye to Bucky and left, smiling at him until the door was shut between them. Bucky returned the favour until she was out of sight, before he faced you with a frown. He could hardly bare this anymore.

He moved from his chair beside your bed to sit on it next to you. He leaned over so he could see the side of your face, and a slight feeling of relief overcame him.

Your eyes were closed.

Bucky smiled. This meant he could try and help you, as you'd refused help while conscious. He reached out towards you and placed his hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you onto your back.

You moaned in annoyance, but you didn't wake up. Bucky kissed your forehead before scooping you up in his arms. He stood up off the bed.

"I've got you my sweetheart" he whispered. "You're safe."

He adjusted how he held you, ensuring you were comfortable. He carried you out your room and wandered the hallways of the compound in search of Bruce. Only a minute later, he found him upon entering the kitchen. He was at the table; he looked up and instantly gave Bucky an understanding nod. Bruce rose from his seat to go with him. Steve and Wanda, also in the room, decided to follow without a word.

They all walked in silence to the med-bay.

Once there, Bucky lay you down in a bed as Bruce gathered the supplies that he needed. He whispered instructions to Steve and Wanda so they could help out. Everyone spoke in hushed tones to avoid the risk of waking you. They didn't know how you'd react, so the treatment would go a lot smoother if you were asleep the entire time.

Bruce managed to do most of what he needed to without disturbing you. At one point, he asked Bucky to roll you over slightly so he could put some ointment on the back of your neck. Bucky began to do so, but you made a noise. Everyone stopped moving.

You moaned in your sleep. You made quiet groaning noises as if you were talking in your sleep, but your words were too indistinguishable for the others to understand. You became more agitated, twitching your head from side to side. You were having a nightmare.

Bucky looked to Bruce. He wanted to wake you, save you from your dreams. Bruce met his gaze but gave him a look, silently telling him to wait a moment.

Your eyes opened and you sat up suddenly. "Bucky..." you gasped.

Wanda reacted first, placing her hand on your head. Your eyes slowly closed again and you fell back against the pillows.

Bucky's eyes widened with worry. "What did you do?"

"I just put her back to sleep... It's only temporary" she assured him. Bucky looked down at you on the bed. He brushed your hair behind your ears. He nodded at Wanda.

"I filled her head with good thoughts and memories. She won't be having another bad dream before she wakes up."

"Thank you" Bucky whispered, calming down and worrying a little less, knowing you were fine.

For the time being.